William h



(No Model.)

W. HfDE PUY.

TAGK 0R NAIL HOLDER.

No. 383,516. Patented May. 29, 1888.

R 0 m N E V N IA Y WITNESSES:

ATTORNEY.

lthvrran Sterne \VILLIAM H. DE PUY,

OF NEN YORK, N. Y.

TACK OR NAIL HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 383,516, dated May 29, 1888.

(No model.)

1 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. De PUY, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tack or Nail Holders; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appcrtains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple contrivance for holding tacks and other nails to be driven in various positions in the wall or other object where it is inconvenient or impracticable to hold them by one hand while driving with the other hand.

The invention consists of suitable springjaws adapted to receive and holda nail in them crosswise between its head and point and to be pulled away from the nail when driven sufficiently to retain its position, together with and in prolongation of a suitable staff, extensible or otherwise, as hereinafter fully described, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is partly a side view and partly a longitudinal section of an extensible holder as I prefer to construct it. Fig. 2 is a side view of the holder as it may be used without the handle and being non-extensible. Figs. 3 and 4: are side views of modified forms of construction.

On one end of a staff, a, that may consist of any suitable rod or bar, but which I prefer to make of twisted wire in whole or in part, as represented in the different views of the drawings,I providespring-jaws 1), preferably in prolongation of the staff, adapted to grip and temporarily hold nails 0, of different sizes, crosswise, as shown in Fig. 1, suitably to be set in the wood or other substance by a blow of the hammer, and then to be detached from the nail by pulling the jaws laterally from the nail, using either two separate wires,,as in Fig. 4., or a single wire suitably looped or doubled, as

in the other figures, or otherwise.

For the best and most practicable form I make the jaws double-that is, consisting of two members, I) and b so as to grip the nail at two points of such distance apart as will insure a definite stable position of the nail; and

to make said holder in this form of wireI first make a loop about double the required length of the jaws, and then bend the loop nearly double at the middle, or thercabout, ina kind of hook form with a rather short bend, the bend being at right angles to the plane of the two members of the loop, as clearly reprcsentedin Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Then I twist the two parts of the wire together below the loop and set the jaws so that they will close together, or nearly so, at the ends for gripping tacks or smallnails, but a little wider apart toward the staff for larger nails; but I do not limit myself to this particular form of construction of said jaws, as it is obvious that they may be variously constructed. 7

For a simple extension-staff a tubular sec tion, d, may be used, with the wire part a inserted so as to shift forward and backward in the tube, and with the ends 6 of the wire set so as to spring against the inner surface of the tube and hold the parts by friction when adjusted. A handle, f, may be used with the extension or other staff, as preferred.

It is evident that the special merit of my invention is not confined to use for the driving of tacks or nails when too high for holding with the hand, but that it may also be very useful at times, not only for placing tacks when carpet-laying, 8 .0., but when tacks, nails, &c., are to be set in places, either high orlow, that are inaccessible for the hand or fingers, because in a corner, crevice, or of other interfering surroundings highly prolific of finger-pounding.

\Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The improved nail-holder consisting of the staff combined with spring-jaws in prolongation of said staff, and being adapted to grip and hold the body of a nail transversely and to be detached therefrom laterally when the nail is set, substantially as described.

2. The improved nail-holder consisting of the staff combined with spring jaws in prodistance apart for insuring a definite and stable position of the nail, and also adapted to be detached from the nail laterally when the nail is set, substantially as described.

3. The improved nail-holder consisting of the staff combined with spring-jaws in pro longation of the staif and consisting of two members, each formed of a loop of a wire bent nearly double at the middle, or thereabout,and at right angles to the plane of the two members of the loop, said jaws being adapted to grip and hold the body of a nail transversely at two points a suitable distance apart for insuringa definite and stable position of thenail, and also adapted to be detached from the nail laterally when the nail is set, substantially as described.

4. The improved nail-holder consisting of the staff combined with spring-jaws in prolongation of the staff and consisting of two members, each formed of aloop of awire staff bent nearly double at the middle, or thereabout, of said loop and at right angles to the plane of the two members thereof, saidjaws being adapted to grip and hold the body of a nail transversely at two points a suitable distance apart for insuring a definite and stable position of the nail, and also adapted to be detached from the nail laterally when the nail is set, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

XVILLIAM H. DE PUY. Witnesses:

EMORY CUMMINGS, L. E. PLATTE- 

